This invention generally relates to manually actuated pump sprayers for mounting to containers of liquids to be sprayed, and more particularly to a trigger operated sprayer having an improved container vent control for opening the vent prior to or after pump activation.
Manually actuated pump sprayers may include trigger sprayers which are well known in the art adapted for manual operation in dispensing of product from a container attached thereto. The container to which the manually actuated pump sprayer is mounted must be vented to atmosphere to replenish the container interior with air as liquid product is dispensed. Otherwise the air volume or head space volume within the container which enlarges as the container is emptied of product eventually becomes sub-atmospheric thereby creating unwanted conditions of hydraulic lock and container collapse. Container venting is carried out in a multitude of ways, utilizing both active and passive valving. Otherwise, container vent control is avoided when using, for example, a collapsible bag as the container of product is dispensed.
Container vent valving must be controlled such that during periods of shipping and storage and other periods of non-use, the vent port remains sealed closed to avoid the possibility of leakage. And, at the same time, the vent valve control must be efficient and economical in use, fabrication and assembly.
Among conventional trigger sprayers having a container vent control is one with a flexible seal member for covering a vent hole to prevent leakage of product and to permit venting of the container during dispensing. Heretofore, conventional seal designs have been quite complex and have thus required relatively complicated manufacturing and assembly techniques. For example, conventional vent seals disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,277 includes non-geometric or complex geometric cross-sections, or protrusions or the like integrally molded therewith as in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,434. The fabrication and installation of such complex prior art designs can significantly increase the overall manufacturing and assembly costs of the trigger sprayer which can be sizeable.
Moreover, conventional manually activated pump sprayers, whether of the manual pumping type or of the battery activated type, requiring container vent control, can be improved to reduce the number of parts and save costs in manufacturing and assembly and to improve ease of operation.
The container vent control provided by the invention relies on a reduced number of parts which optimizes operation and economizes in manufacturing and assembly, yet performs in a highly efficient manner for maintaining a tight sealing integrity of the vent port during periods of non-use while allowing quick and easy opening during a spraying operation.
In accordance with the invention, a short, tubular flexible seal mounted within the manually actuated sprayer overlies the vent port in a tightly sealed normally closed position. A rigid probe on the pump actuator aligns with the vent port and is spaced from the seal in a vent closed position. The manual actuator is hingedly mounted to the sprayer for movement of the probe from a relaxed position into the port to engage the tubular seal for unsealing the vent port in a vent open position to vent the container.
The container vent control provided for the manually operated sprayer is suitable for both a trigger actuated pump sprayer having a reciprocable pump piston within a cylinder, the piston being actuated by manual operation of a trigger lever. And, the invention is suitable for a battery operated sprayer having an electric motor for operating the pump, a battery for operating the motor, and a manually operated switch for selectively connecting and disconnecting the motor and the battery.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.